Concerning You
by Puppets Blizzt
Summary: Lorelai will do anything to fix her marriage with Christopher, even if it means cutting Luke out of her life forever. But everyone, even Christopher, knows it won't last; her heart was sold the minute she moved to Stars Hollow. Now Complete.
1. A Twist of Fate

**Do I need another story? The answer is yes. I've been getting a little bored with the ones I'm working on (S&R, ALPOH). So... I kinda started a new one. I like short stories - which translates to one-shots, two-shots, etc. I think that's why I never last too long with longer fanfics (S&R, ALPOH). I'm debating whether or not to continue them. I _will _finish The Lorelai's First Day at Luke's, however. **

**Anyway. Introducing a new multi-chapter fanfic: Concerning You. Chris/Lorelai, Lorelai/Luke. **

**Set during/after To Whom It May Concern.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls.**

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><p>"Christopher!" Lorelai called desperately, her hopes plummeting as she heard the front door close in anger. He was gone.<p>

She looked around in dismay. Now was definitely one of those times she was glad there wasn't a crowd around, watching her, scrutinizing her. And yet… she felt like a thousand faces were plastered against her windows, watching her with widened eyes. She felt like a disappointment yet again. Emily Gilmore would certainly make sure of it.

She cast a sidelong glance at the tablet on the kitchen table, frowning at its contents. Oh yes, the letter that had caused it all. She fumed angrily. Was Christopher really so insecure as to believe the letter actually _meant something_? Yes, yes he was. She picked up the notepad in her hands, letter her gaze wander over the words. She analyzed it from Chris's view, reading between the lines as she knew he would have done. For a moment, she was not Lorelai Gilmore. No. Instead, she was someone else. Anyone else.

_Once Luke Danes is in your life, he is in your life forever_. She grimaced; of course this would have set him off. Anyone would be crazy not to think that this letter was not a love letter - whether she meant it to be or not. Her brows furred as she thought, staring at the wall opposite her. And she knew what she had to do: she had to save her marriage. She had to hunt down Christopher, no matter what it took, and sort things out. She had to fix her marriage. Luke was her past and her present, but he wasn't her future. He was simply the man who poured her coffee, and she had to believe that he always would be. What mattered to her most now was her husband, Christopher Hayden, and the fact that he most likely wanted to go kill Luke Danes and ignore her for the rest of his life. That had to be fixed.

She hurried out of her home, stumbled down the stairs to her car, and threw herself inside. In a haste, she pursued the man desperately. He couldn't have gone far.

She passed Luke's Diner as she headed for the interstate and let her gaze wander towards the window when the light turned red. Was Luke inside? How had his hearing gone? Did he have custody of April? She hoped he did. She hoped that, if she was unable to get the happy ending she wanted with Chris, he would get it with his daughter. He deserved it, and she very well knew that. Her gaze tore apart the diner, and she finally rested her eyes on the blue baseball cap of Luke Danes, who was working diligently behind the counter. He looked up for a moment, and his eyes caught hers. He offered a smile, but she found that she could not return it. She struggled with this for a moment, the corners of her lips twitching as she attempted. Finally, she forced a smile - fake, of course. How could she be happy now? She wasn't happy at all. But she could fake it damn well. Luke nodded once to her, his smile still painting his face, before he returned to his work - a customer at the counter.

Lorelai herself turned back to the road, realized the light was green, and drove off once more.

It was easy for her to refocus on her husband. He was, after all, her husband; the one who had just stormed out on her in an angry huff. The one who was Rory's father; who was relentless in his efforts to marry her. Yes, Christopher Hayden was the man for her. She had to believe it, despite the nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach that told her she was wrong. That told her she was wrong to put so much faith in Chris; that he was nothing but a selfish man who would do anything to get what he wanted; that he was just a failure in anything he did; that this was a mistake. She ignored this feeling, but the thoughts raced through her mind like a marquee on repeat.

A bright light. A blaring horn. Her world went black as the sound of shattered glass erupted around her ears.

Just barely, she could hear voices. It felt like there were heavy objects over her ears, deafening the sounds around her. She couldn't distinguish the voices, and she could barely make out the words. She tried to move her body, but found herself incapable of doing so; she tried to speak, but she couldn't do that, either. She sat there in silence, able to only barely see what was going on around her.

"Ma'am?" she could barely distinguish the word, "Ma'am, are you okay?"

"Enm...Lk..." her words came out as gibberish.

"Okay, ma'am, an ambulance is on the way. Just sit tight and we'll get you outta there as soon as we can." The man left.

She tried to call out; she didn't want to be alone. But he was already gone, his figure fading away from her sight.

He left her stranded in her car.

Broken.

Before she knew it, her world crashed around her and she was enveloped in an overwhelming darkness.

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><p><strong>I know it's short, but I couldn't decide if I wanted to end it here or not. I decided to end it here. More dramatic.<strong>

**Read and review, por favor~**

**Puppet xx**


	2. The Opposite of Christopher

I have reawakened from the dead!

Did you miss me? :D

You didn't? Aw. I missed you!

I haven't written anything in ages. I feel lame. D: I'm trying to get back into that, with it being summer I don't have much else to do.

This is a rather boring chapter, but I feel as if it's needed. I don't know why.

I anticipate one or more chapter(s) left to this.

Also, there will be a companion fic to accompany this one, which is in the works. Hopefully I can get it up quickly. We'll see.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls. ASP would not injure Lorelai this way. xD**

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><p>"No, you idiot! <em>Gilmore<em>! Lorelai Victoria _Gilmore_! Not _Billmore_!" There was no mistaking the shrewd, uptight, nervous voice of a Gilmore, especially the voice of _Emily _Gilmore. Her voice rebounded off the walls and could be heard even in the elevator across the hall. The Attendings avoided the nurses' station when they saw her, swerving away as if they suddenly had something else to do that they had forgotten. Fear loomed in their eyes. Emily Gilmore seemed to have that effect on people.

"Sorry, ma'am," the nurse at the station said calmly. There was warmth in her eyes, understanding. This was the ICU; she got crazy family members on a daily basis.

"I don't need you to be sorry," Emily snapped, slapping her palm on the counter, "I need you to find my daughter." Of course, she'd never had family members like these.

"Of course," she responded with slight annoyance.

Emily Gilmore turned to her husband, worry drawn on her face. "Richard, she'll be okay, won't she?"

"Yes, Emily. Of course she will," he said soothingly. He rounded on the woman, "She will, won't she?"

There was a stern look on Richard Gilmore's features, his eyes narrowed at the nurse. He was more composed than his wife, whose eyes frantically searched the counter for any files with her daughter's name. He was, put simply, the calm one in the Gilmore Manor. He was calm and composed… on the outside, at least. On the inside, his heart raced with nervousness. His only daughter couldn't die. No. She simply couldn't.

The nurse fumbled through the files on the counter.

"Damn it! What is taking you so long?" Emily shrilly accused, "If you don't locate my daughter's file this instant, I will see to it that you are out of this job."

The nurse stared at her for a moment, deciding whether or not she should take the woman seriously. She decided she should. "I'll check the computer."

"Oh, the computer!" Emily exclaimed mockingly, "Why, if only I'd thought of that sooner! Then this crazy woman wouldn't be standing in front of me yelling at me!" She narrowed her eyes menacingly. "Locate the file and tell me ho—"

"Grandma?"

Emily Gilmore whipped around immediately, her eyes scanning her surroundings. Her eyes lit up when they fell on her granddaughter, Rory.

"Rory, thank God. This nurse is a complete _imbecile_. How long have you been here?" She hurried away from the nurses' station, leaving the nurse with an annoyed expression plastered on her face. Richard gave an apologetic nod before slipping away after his wife.

"I've been down in the cafeteria looking for food, but I came back up to see if there were any updates. I've been here for maybe…" She looked at her watch, "an hour or two. I don't know."

"How is she? Is she all right?"

"Um…" Rory faltered.

"What, what's wrong?" Emily jumped at Rory's delay, eyes wide with worry.

"She has a few broken bones," Rory's voice shook, "She's beat up pretty bad. I was in her room earlier… She's in a coma… But she's better than she could be," She let out a deep breath. Her face was red, and it was clear she had been crying earlier. She started to cry again, and she rubbed her face with the cuff of her sleeve.

Richard Gilmore wrapped his granddaughter in a warm embrace, his arms tightly grasping her small frame.

"There, there," he comforted, "it's going to be all right. Everything is going to be fine. What can we do?"

"Yes, can we see her?" Emily asked.

"I think so. You'll have to ask them."

"Has anyone called Christopher?" Richard inquired.

"I tried; he didn't answer," Rory admitted, "I called Sookie, too. She'll try and get over, but she's not sure if she can."

"I'll try Christopher again," Richard decided. He turned to his wife, "you go see Lorelai." He kissed his wife atop her head and hurried away, cell phone in hand.

Emily nodded at his retreating figure, "Come on, Rory."

She whisked Rory away back to the nurses' station. A new nurse had taken post and gingerly pointed the way to Lorelai's room. She informed them that Lorelai would, of course, be unresponsive to their actions, but they could spend as much time as they wanted with her. If anything were to happen, they were to call for her immediately. All of this information flew past the two generations of Gilmores, who absently nodded and scurried into the room.

The nurse gave a small, soft smile before leaving them alone.

Emily wandered to her daughter's bedside, staring down at her with mother's eyes. Her entire life had been spent away from her daughter, shunned from her personal life as if she were a meaningless ant. She had missed a lot in her daughter's life, and even more in her granddaughter's, but she had never felt further away from her now. It was like Lorelai was in grave peril and she, Emily, was on another planet with no means of reaching her. She felt helpless, weak. Defenseless. For once, Emily Gilmore didn't feel like the dominant, controlling woman. She felt like she was at the mercy of some unbeknownst being, which was slowly ripping her daughter away from her.

Impulsively, without thought, Emily Gilmore's hand reached out to her daughter's. Her small hands wrapped around Lorelai's, and she dropped herself in the chair by the bed. Her daughter's body was unresponsive. She expected as much. Her eyes travelled to her daughter's. She looked as if she were sleeping. A small tear traveled down her face.

"I know," she spoke firmly, though her voice wavered, "I know that you and I- I know we don't get along. We see things… _differently_. But you have to get through this, Lorelai. I haven't been the… _best _mother to you… but… You are a Gilmore, and Gilmores don't give up. They don't give in. You are not allowed to give up, do you hear me? Everyone- Everyone is here for you. They won't be the same without you." Emily paused, struggling to keep control of herself. "I won't be the same without you." With that, not trusting herself to stay composed, Emily Gilmore stood up and left the room. She barely noticed Rory in the doorway.

It was several hours later when someone else appeared in Lorelai's room. The three Gilmores looked up as they heard the approaching footsteps, the concerned voice.

"This room?" it asked.

The nurse gave an assuring "yes."

Six eyes were trained on his figure as he peered into the room. He stepped in nervously. Rory's eyes were unbelieving, but she stood up and embraced the man in a hug nonetheless. He smiled, returned the gesture, and let his eyes float to Emily and Richard.

"Emily, Richard," he greeted.

"Luke," Richard Gilmore acknowledged. The elder Gilmores were surprised, to say the least. Emily turned to her husband in confusion, unsure of how to react. Richard just looked on, his eyes fixated on Luke Danes. Emily turned her eyes back to him, a thin smile on her face.

"Hello, Luke." There was a hint of bitterness in her voice. Luke let it slide.

Rory's eyes were questioning.

"Sookie called me. She can't get in right now. She said she'll try to come tomorrow, but she doesn't know when she'll be able to. She told me what happened and I… I came over right away." He pulled a bag from behind his back. "I brought food. Figured you might get hungry."

Rory took the food gratefully and set it on the table. "Thanks, Luke."

"Hey. It's the least I can do." His eyes flitted to Lorelai's figure, stiff on the hospital bed. His heart crashed. His stomach plummeted. He felt weak at the knees. Silently, wordlessly, Rory and her grandparents left the room, an unspoken agreement to leave Luke alone passing between them. As they passed under the doorway, Luke could hear a conversation between Rory and Richard:

"Where's Dad?"

"I don't know."

He refused to let his anger take over him and made his way awkwardly to the bedside. There, he stood over her comatose figure, staring down at her in confusion. He wasn't sure what to do. He wasn't sure what he _could _do as ex-fiancé. For a while, he did the only thing he could do: he sat. And he thought. His fingers wrapped around each other in a tight wad between his legs, he stared at the ground.

"Lorelai…" he started to talk, raising his head to train his eyes on her body.

"I want you to know," he choked, staring at his hands, "I'm extremely grateful. For everything. For the character reference, everything. Thanks for being there for me. I'll be here for you, okay? When you wake up… I'll be here."

Emily Gilmore stood in the doorway, watching Luke with a calculating gaze. There was newfound respect in her eyes for the man before her. Quietly, she walked into the room and stood at the end of Lorelai's hospital bed. She rested her hands on the railing, staring at Luke.

"That was touching," she said.

"Oh uh, Emily," Luke said, startled, "I was just…" _That was private_. He stood up, wiped the sweat on his jeans, and extended a hand to Emily. She took it gingerly.

"Christopher's not here," she observed.

"Yeah, I know," Luke responded.

"But you are," Emily said.

"Uh, yeah, I am." _Observant one, you are._

There was a glimmer in Emily's eye.

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><p>Several days passed and Lorelai still rested peacefully on the hospital bed. Visitors came and went – the townspeople from Stars Hollow being the most common – but her status remained the same. The Gilmores were worried out of their skin, and Emily Gilmore spent as much of her time as far from her daughter's room as possible (while still remaining in the building) to prevent herself from crying her eyes out.<p>

Christopher Hayden had still not arrived, and the Gilmores were worried. Rory called him at least every day with an update (not that there was much to update on), but he never answered and the phone went straight to voicemail. His reputation with the family was slowly falling, and things would not be good when he arrived.

Rory spent her free time at the hospital. It had taken many hours of persuasion from Richard, Emily _and _Luke to convince her to continue her schooling, even with her mother's state. She had been unwilling at first, but the combined force of the Gilmore-Danes trio had caused her to reconsider.

Days passed, and Lorelai began to show signs of improvement. Nurses informed them it could be just a couple of days before she recovered. Joyous cries echoed all around. Christopher was still nowhere to be found.

As days progressed – and Lorelai's status did, too – visitors were more and more common. Everyone was anxious to see Lorelai reawaken. Kirk had taken to lurking outside in the hallway, hiding whenever someone looked his way (he had been banned from entering Lorelai's room after proving to be too much of a nuisance). Patty and Babette had convinced him to stay at the hospital and send them updates via walkie-talkies. He had made a big deal about it, sleuthing around as if he were a spy.

It was Valentine's Day. The Gilmores were the only ones at the hospital for Lorelai, with the exception of Luke Danes. He hadn't done much the past few days. The Gilmores had refused to leave the hospital floor, so Luke took it upon himself to bring them food and supplies. Four people sat in the hospital room. Their gaze shifted every now and then to Lorelai's figure, and they remained silent.

Lorelai gave a small groan.

"Lorelai?" Emily sprang from her chair.

"Mom?" At precisely the same moment as Emily, Rory leapt to her feet, rushing to her mother's bedside.

Her eyes fluttered.

She struggled. The figures around her were blurry. She gave another moan. Faintly, she heard someone call for help.

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><p>aaaaand<em> fin.<em>

This chapter, anyway.

Again, it didn't really get anywhere. It's basically just setting the mood for when Chris actually shows up.

I would have saved this and made it longer to include more, but I feel as if I've waited long enough to publish this.


	3. The Opposite of Luke

Ah, that wasn't too long a wait, was it?

I had this awesome idea planned, but it didn't actually end up that way, so if the ending is a surprise... uh... surprise? XD

My mind just came up with another idea that I find easier to convey and describe. The one I had was confusing.

Anyway. Read on! I'm honestly not entirely sure how much longer this fic will be around. It probably has another few chapters to it, in all honestly. (:

Also, this chapter is really short, and for that, I apologize. I'll make up for it!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Gilmore Girls.

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><p>Two nurses hurried into the room as called. They checked Lorelai's stats and went though their routine, told the family she was regaining consciousness and she should wake soon, and left them alone. Rory thanked them as they left.<p>

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><p>Lorelai shifted uncomfortably, moaning to herself. She attempted to raise her arms, but found herself incapable. Her hand twitched, and it moved towards Rory's.<p>

Rory was sleeping beside her in the chair, leaning against the bed with her arm tucked under her head as a pillow. She awoke at the touch.

"Mom?" she asked groggily.

"Shh," Lorelai argued, "sleep."

"N-no," Rory responded sleepily, "I'm fine. I'm awake. See?" She sat up and stretched her arms, blinking rapidly to clear her vision.

Lorelai gave a laugh, "stubborn child."

"I learned from the best," Rory wiped the sleep from her eyes with a sly grin. Her mother rolled her eyes.

Lorelai sat up slightly, inching herself against her pillow. She looked around. Emily slept comfortably against Richard's shoulder, whose arm encircled her protectively. His glasses rested on his chest and his mouth hung open in a soft snore. Surprise washed over her. Her parents were here. Sleeping, but here. They hadn't gone home? She was touched. Despite being the 'failure' she was, they were here. They _did _have feelings! She smiled.

And then there was Luke. He sat in the chair opposite the couch in which Emily and Richard slept, his arms crossed as he dozed. She stared at him curiously. Why was he here? Not that she wasn't glad or grateful – she was – but… why? She turned to her daughter.

"Where's Chris?" she asked softly.

Rory stared at her uneasily, obviously uncomfortable with being the one to share the news.

"He's uhm," she faltered, "he's not here."

Lorelai stared. "Oh."

"I tried calling him," Rory apologized, "Grandpa, too. I called every day since the accident. But he must have turned his phone off because it always went straight to voicemail."

"Oh, well—"

"What happened, anyway?" Rory interrupted, "you have to give me something. One minute you're fine and married and happy, and the next I get a call that my mother is in the hospital in critical condition and my father is unreachable. I need details."

Lorelai sighed, "Later, sweets. Not now, okay?"

Rory nodded reluctantly. "Okay."

"Hey, why is Luke here?" Lorelai nodded towards him.

"Showed up when Sookie said she couldn't make it. He's been here since. Hasn't left."

"Huh," Lorelai said in surprise.

"Yeah. Apparently Caesar's been running Luke's for a while.

"But his pancakes are terrible!" Lorelai cried sorrowfully.

Her voice woke the others. Emily woke with a start, pushing away from Richard's shoulder.

"Lorelai?" Her movement woke Richard, who grunted and opened his eyes.

"What? What's going on?" he asked with a yawn.

"Lorelai's awake," Emily replied.

The conversation caused Luke to stir from his slumber. He sat up in surprise, unfolding his arms and standing up to stretch.

"You're awake!" he observed with a glance towards Lorelai.

She nodded with a smile, "Yes I am. And you're here."

"Yeah, I uh—Sookie wanted me to come." Well, it wasn't exactly a lie. Sookie had called him, yes, and asked him to go, yes. But she had, in no means, asked him to stay. That was all on his own. Truthfully, he wasn't sure why he had chosen to stay. It wasn't like he and Lorelai were going to be married anytime soon. There was nothing tying him here except his friendship with her. Just a friendship. But a friendship so strong that would make him stay? He hadn't even talked to her much at all the past year. Yet he found himself staying until she awoke.

Lorelai glanced at Rory, who smiled at her. Luke embarrassed so easily.

Emily stood awkwardly. She wasn't sure what to do. Her daughter was awake now… now what? She clutched her purse tight against her. "Lorelai, Richard and I are going to find something to eat now that you're awake. We'll be back later."

She nodded. "Okay, sure. Bring me back food, please! A taco! No wait, pizza. With everything on it!"

Emily rolled her eyes, "You took no time at all to recover. Let's go, Richard."

"Ah, well, yes," Richard agreed, "coming, Emily." He turned to Lorelai. "I'm glad to see you're awake." Then, he turned to Rory. "Rory, care to join us?"

Rory looked at her mother, who shrugged, "go for it!"

"I'll be back soon," Rory promised.

"That's what all my daughters say until they meet a rich guy and run off to get married without me there," Lorelai frowned.

"Well, I'll send a postcard," Rory replied as she left with Richard.

This left Luke and Lorelai alone. She struggled to think of something to say.

"Well uh, thanks for coming…" she said.

"Ah, it's nothing," Luke shrugged.

"How long have I been here?"

"Uh, a week or two? It's February 16th," Luke replied.

A voice down the hall stopped Lorelai before she could speak again. It caused Luke to shift awkwardly where he stood, backing towards the door with an apologetic expression.

And in walked Christopher Hayden.

"Lore, I—" he stopped short as he nearly careened into Luke. "Oh," he said stiffly, "hello."

"Uh, hi. I was just going to leave…"

"Good idea," Chris nodded.

Luke stared at him. Chris's eyes met his. They had a silent, two-second stare down which ended in Luke turning towards Lorelai.

"I'll talk to you later," he said.

"Sure, okay. See you later…" Lorelai agreed quietly, watching him as he left. When he left, she switched her gaze to Christopher. "Long time no see, stranger."

There was little warmth in her eyes. She had only been talking for a few minutes, but in those minutes she had learned that Christopher had not made a single appearance while she was in the hospital. He had not called, he had not responded to his daughter, he had not done anything worthy of a happy greeting.

"Why was he here?" Christopher demanded, pointing towards the door.

"Uh, yes Chris, your wife is doing just fine," Lorelai answered.

"Answer the question, Lorelai," he said firmly.

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "He was here because his phone wasn't turned off," she responded icily.

"Lore, we had just fought. I needed to clear my head. I just needed some space."

"You need space, you take a walk. You drive around town. You don't _leave _town and turn off your phone," she argued.

"Well I sure hope I didn't interrupt anything," Christopher said sarcastically.

"Chris, Luke has been here since I was admitted. He brought food for Rory and my parents and he's just been around to take care of them. You really didn't miss much. You know, except for the moment where my status was pretty much unknown."

"I would have come, Lorelai…"

"Would have. You didn't," Lorelai informed. "There's a difference."

"I'm really getting tired of this argument," Christopher admitted angrily, "or maybe you forgot why you're even here."

Lorelai sat up as best she could to glare at him in disbelief. "Are you seriously blaming the accident on _me_?"

"Did you write the letter?" Chris responded.

"It was a _reference _letter so Luke could keep custody of his _daughter_. And in case you forgot, you're the one who took it out of context!" she exclaimed.

"Yes, but you agreed to write it," Christopher argued.

"What are we in, high school?" Lorelai sighed. "Again, it was a reference letter. He asked me to write it. I wasn't going to say 'no'! I'm one of the only people that know him well enough to write something half-way decent! I told you I don't love him anymore. What more do you want from me?" she asked desperately.

There was a brief silence.

"I want you to stay away from him. I don't want you to talk to him anymore," he said.

"Christopher, you're being ridiculous," Lorelai pointed out.

"Am I, Lore? I come home to find a letter that reads like a love letter which seemed to be hidden in a drawer upstairs. I arrive at the hospital to find you and him in a room _alone_. If you ask me, I have every right to be concerned," Christopher responded. "I am so, so, _so _sorry I wasn't here. That will never happen again. But you have to understand what was going through my mind – what is _still _going through my mind."

Lorelai was silent. He was right. Visibly, she relaxed. She sighed. She had told herself she would do anything to save her marriage. She had told herself she would sacrifice what she had to in order to have the life she wanted – even if it really wasn't. She knew she couldn't face Emily and Richard if she and Christopher divorced so soon after wedding. They would be disappointed – as usual. And she really wasn't sure she could take that. Yes, she would do _anything _to save her marriage and keep it whole. Anything.

She gave a small nod, refusing to meet his eyes, "Okay."

"Okay?" Christopher asked.

She looked up. "Okay. I'll do it."

He seemed surprised that she accepted his demand. His eyebrows raised and he gave an impressed nod.

"Well okay, then," he nodded. He walked over to her and sat on the edge of the bed. He grabbed her hand and smiled, "How are you?"

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><p>It was several more days before they let Lorelai go home. She bore a cast on her leg, but she refused to let it bother her. She argued the case that rolling over Taylor's feet in a wheelchair would be great fun, and no one seemed to be able to produce any argument that would overrule.<p>

Not talking to Luke proved easier than she had originally thought. When she thought about it, she really hadn't spoken to him much anyway. She hadn't set foot in Luke's diner since their breakup, and not talking at all was just a step further. No, it would be a breeze.

Lorelai took to the wheelchair in an instant. "Why doesn't everyone just use wheelchairs?" she had asked.

"Not everyone has someone to push them around," Chris had responded pointedly as he pushed her through the house and into the kitchen.

Lorelai had proven that rolling over Taylor's toes was a fun sport to play, and she was often able to convince Gigi to push her down the street in pursuit of his retreating figure.

As time wore on, she found that avoiding Luke's was the easiest thing she had ever agreed to. Coffee from Weston's had become a daily thing (again) for her, and she had established a friendship with the owner and its daily patrons. It was Luke's 2.0.

Lorelai and Christopher had somehow managed to repair the damage and heal the scars. They were still there, the scars, but not as prominent in their minds. They seemed closer than ever before, more trusting than ever before. They were on the road to recovery and it seemed nothing and no one would stand in their way.

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><p>Yeah, okay, so, you might hate me for the ending.<p>

JUST KEEP IN MIND THAT THIS _IS _A LUKE/LORELAI FIC, SO THEY WILL BE TOGETHER (eventually...).

I've got a plan (or, the outline of one). I didn't want to make this story a generic "oh Chris didn't show up I'm going to dump him" fic, and I realized that my original idea teetered on the very edge of that. Instead, I altered it, prolonged the wait, and came up with something new.

I already have the start of the next chapter done, but we'll see when I can get to it. I have a few other pieces of writing I'm working on that have a strict deadline, so I have to give them top priority this week.

Anyway.

Love it? Hate it?

Review it!

- Puppet.


	4. Going Green

This is kind of a long chapter in order to make up for the previous, super-short chapter. Hope you like it! (:

_*Please note that when it switches to Luke, it resets to the day Lorelai left the hospital.*_

**Disclaimer**: I was lying. I really do own Gilmore Girls. Kinda. I'm ASP's daughter!

**Real Disclaimer**: Just kidding. I don't even know if she _has _a daughter... Anyway, I don't own Gilmore Girls.

* * *

><p>St. Patrick's Day was arriving, and with it one of Taylor Doose's crazy town celebrations. The town square was to be decorated in shamrocks and grassy green colors. The students at Mrs. Patty's Dance Studio were to learn an Irish dance. There would be booths, games, food, and everything that normally came with Stars Hollow's best. Taylor had even made up a game for the children to play. On the week of St. Patty's Day, a green leprechaun would be roaming the streets of the Hollow. The person to catch the leprechaun (and locate his pot of gold) would receive a week's worth of free ice cream from the soda shoppe and other participating venues (which, so far as Taylor knew, only included the soda shoppe and Kirk's Town Tours).<p>

Taylor was getting better at his attempts to involve the citizens of Stars Hollow to participate in the town's events. He held more charity fundraisers that appealed to everyone. At the St. Patrick's Day festival (which Lorelai was still confused about. Taylor wasn't Irish, why celebrate?), a new fundraiser game would take place. It was the Olympics: Hollow style. A town of 9,000 would take part in events such as baseball, soccer, cross country, football, basketball, and any other sport Taylor saw fit to add. This drew in interest from across the town. It held the promise of being the best fundraiser Stars Hollow had ever seen.

It would cost ten dollars to participate in the town events, and the list which Kirk drew up and carried around town showed that the majority of Stars Hollow had decided to take part. St. Patty's Day may be a small holiday, but it would be the biggest celebration in the smallest town in Connecticut.

Christopher had decided he and Gigi would take part in the town event. Lorelai, fully healed and functional, agreed to participate as well only on the promise that Gigi would find the leprechaun before the other children and share her winnings with Lorelai.

The town was setting up for the event. Green streamers decorated the town's buildings and flowed from the town's gazebo. Shamrocks glistened in the bright spring sun. Booths began to set up and the games were being organized and coordinated by Taylor himself. He had hoodwinked Luke into participating as well. Luke would head one of the baseball teams as "team captain." The position made him feel like he was in middle school.

When Luke thought about it later, he wasn't sure why he had allowed himself to be roped into one of the town's crazy events, but the extravaganza that was in the making had seeped into his diner and made even the tiniest participating unavoidable. Taylor had posted sign-up sheets all over town for the sports that would be played, as well as times. If you could, it was encouraged that you participate in more than one event. It was a fundraiser, after all.

The event was just three days away, and all the team positions had been filled on every sport. Lorelai upheld her promise to participate… in the tug-of-war finish at the end of the celebration. That would be easy, she figured, and she could always pretend like she was pulling even when she wasn't. Christopher had agreed to be on the baseball team as "team captain" to Luke's opposing team. He hadn't known Luke would be his opponent until Taylor approached him and let it slip, and even when he did know, he hadn't backed out. This would be fun.

Like any other morning, Lorelai Gilmore woke up, turned off her alarm, and was awoken by Gigi pouncing on her back. And, like any other morning, she was forced out of bed and dragged down the hall by the child, who had taken a fondness for her in the months that they had been living together. No longer was she the uncontrollable, spoiled, bratty child. Instead, she was polite and, actually, kinda fun to be around. After she had her morning coffee, Lorelai left Gigi downstairs and returned upstairs to get dressed. Christopher was busy helping Taylor prepare for the town event.

She smiled. Earlier, it had been hard getting him to fit in with the town, but now it seemed like he had lived here his entire life. Christopher Hayden was finally coming to fit in with Stars Holllow's crazies, and things couldn't be better for them. She was glad she had made the decision she had. She had a happy marriage, a lovely family, and the best friends a person could ask for. And yet . . .

Luke Danes worked tirelessly at the diner day after day, never once calling in sick in order to stay away from his customers. He loved his diner, and he loved his town. He had a solid relationship with his daughter and his sister's family – Liz, TJ, and Doula. Doula was just nearing four months, and, though he really didn't like kids, his niece was the most adorable child he had ever laid eyes on. Anna and April had already moved to New Mexico so Anna could be with her mother, but April would be coming up for Independence Day in July, and Luke simply couldn't wait.

He owed a lot to Lorelai Gilmore. If not for her, he probably wouldn't even be seeing April this summer. He could very well still be in a relationship with Nicole Leahy – or worse, he could be in jail for attacking the guy she cheated on him with. She, Lorelai, had been a stabilizing force in his life. He had kept him grounded when anger fueled his veins. When she wasn't in his life, he was his worst. He did things on impulse rather than think things through. It was his impulse that had caused him to punch Christopher – twice. He told himself it would never happen again, though, for Lorelai Gilmore was back in his life. The situation at the hospital had brought back memories for the pair of them, and he was anxious to see her in his diner once more.

But the day came and went, customers entered and left, and Lorelai Gilmore had not made any appearance. Maybe she was just recovering. Maybe. He wasn't sure what had happened after he left. Christopher had arrived, and, having found it awkward and tense, Luke had excused himself. He didn't know if Lorelai and Chris were still together. If they weren't, it could explain why Lorelai had not stopped by. Perhaps she was heartbroken. Christopher tended to have that effect on her.

He tried not to let this bother him. Maybe she would be in tomorrow. But tomorrow came and went just like the first, and there was still no Lorelai. His blue baseball cap, which he had put on after the hospital encounter and had once sat atop his head, was gone by the first week. It was back to black. Most of the town noticed in an instant. Ms. Patty and Babette noticed right away – they had said that Luke's blue hat was their personal favorite, and therefore noticed instantly when it was gone – and the news spread like wildfire.

Taylor had planned the St. Patrick's Day festival many weeks In advance, and Luke had already agreed. But by the time the festivity rolled around, Luke was in the worst mood. It had been over a month and Lorelai had not said a word to him. When he saw her in the streets, she pretended not to notice him. Her gaze was elsewhere – anywhere but where Luke stood. If they came close to each other in the market, she would apologize politely and leave before he could get a word in. All of this put Luke in an even worse mood than before. Confusion overwhelmed him, but he tried not to let it get the best of him. His anger, he had no control over.

People were kicked out of the diner on a daily basis just like before. They breathed too loudly, asked too many questions, complained too often. It was days like these that he wondered why he had gone into the diner business. Today alone, he had thrown out over fifteen customers for various reasons, the prime reason being that they complained until they made his ears sore. He snapped at anyone who asked him a question, gave sarcastic responses to his customers, and the lousy tips didn't help to lighten his mood. Not having Lane around didn't help much either, for she was one of the best he had hired. But no, Lane was at home with her newly-born twins, Kwan and Steve. She would be out for the St. Patrick's Day celebration, and the Van Gerbig family agreed to watch the diner while Luke ran the baseball team.

It was then, just a day before St. Patrick's Day, that he realized why Lorelai had not stopped by the diner; had not seen him when they walked through town; had not acknowledged his presence with a single word unless they accidentally collided. He was preparing to close the diner early so he could drop by Liz and TJ's house when he spotted them. The pair of them. A little blonde-haired girl bounced ahead of them, jumping around and screaming merrily. They walked through the town square happily, laughing and clinging to each other at the elbows. It was _him_.

Christopher Hayden. So, they were still married; still together. That certainly explained some of it. He watched them as they circled the square, and he thought he saw – for the briefest moment – Lorelai's eyes flash towards him. He blinked and they had returned to the child ahead of her, but he could have sworn she had been looking towards the diner. Maybe it was just his imagination. But maybe it wasn't. He forced the thought from his mind and locked up the diner, stepped into the street, and marched towards Liz and TJ's. He had a niece to visit.

* * *

><p>The town sprang to life with St. Patrick's Day. Kirk made a fortune with the merchandise he carried around. By mid-afternoon, he had mysteriously disappeared, and rumors circulated that Taylor had paid him to be the leprechaun. The town was the home of the green. Every Stars Hollow citizen wore some sort of green to celebrate the holiday, and if they didn't they were hounded mercilessly by others.<p>

Rory was busy finishing school and could not make it to the event, but Lorelai promised to take loads of pictures. It looked like a leprechaun had thrown up on the small town. Shamrocks and streamers, gold coins and green hats decorated the town. The more Lorelai thought about it, the more she realized what an insanely huge celebration it was for such a small event. But hey, that was Stars Hollow.

"Can we go now?" Gigi tugged on Lorelai's jeans, staring up at her with wide eyes.

Lorelai smiled down at her, "In a minute, Gigi. Hold still."

Gigi frowned, but waited patiently. Lorelai was putting green extension clips in Gigi's hair for the event. When she was sure that it wouldn't fall out, she patted her on the back.

"Okay, let's go!" before she could even say another word, Gigi was off, running down the staircase and out the front door. Lorelai hurried after her.

"You're gonna find the leprechaun right?" Lorelai asked.

"Yes," Gigi responded simply.

"Good. Your Dad's already at the baseball field. That's where we'll be, okay?"

"Okay."

Lorelai and Gigi made their way into the town square, where the booths were busy and the green shone brilliantly in the reflection of the sun. The children participating in the Leprechaun Hunt would be in groups of four. All four children got free ice cream from the soda shoppe if they found the leprechaun. Taylor split them into groups – putting the eldest children, who were approximately eleven, in charge of their groups – and sent them on their way. The only restrictions the Leprechaun was given was that he could not hide in houses. He could, however, hide in town businesses. Lorelai watched as Gigi ran off with her group and smiled. It was crazy to think that just months ago, Gigi had been a terror in her life.

She smiled as she watched her hurry around the square with her team. Then, she turned and headed for the baseball field. When she arrived, she found a seat in the stands and sat quietly. Christopher was practicing pitching, and so far he was doing pretty poorly. Lorelai made no comment on this, however, stifling laughs whenever he threw too high or too low. She watched as he shared a few words with one of the teammates before leaving the field and walking towards her. She stood up to greet him, kissed him lightly, and sat back down, pulling him with her.

"Gigi having fun?" Chris asked.

"Yeah, I think so," Lorelai nodded.

"Good," Chris smiled, "the game's about to start. Are you gonna stick around?"

"Maybe for a little while," Lorelai agreed.

"What about _your _sport? Don't you have something you should be doing to raise money for the town?" Chris asked with a sly grin.

"I'm going to do the tug-of-war at the end," Lorelai informed him.

"You're kidding," Christopher stated.

"Nope."

"That's not a sport. You agreed you'd play a sport."

"I agreed I would participate. I did not give consent to participate _in a sport_," Lorelai argued.

"Ah, tricky," Christopher laughed, "you're a sneaky one, Lorelai Hayden."

"Gilmore," Lorelai corrected, "you know I don't like to use your last name. I'm not a Gilmore without the 'Gilmore.'"

"Right," Christopher sighed. "I have to go; the game's going to start soon." He gave her a quick peck on the cheek and left, jogging onto the field and huddling with his teammates.

Lorelai smiled as he left, beaming proudly. She couldn't remember a single moment where she had been happier – not including when Rory had come into her life. Aside from that moment, she had never felt so happy; so complete. This marriage idea wasn't so bad after all.

There was movement in the corner of her eye, and she watched as the other team entered the field. They had been practicing elsewhere while Chris's team got the actual field. She stared at each of them as they entered, looking to see if she recognized any of them. Though the lists had been posted several days ago, Lorelai was far too lazy to go all the way to Doose's to look at them, and the only other place they were posted was at Ms. Patty's Dance Studio. To get there, she'd have to walk by Luke's, and she knew she wouldn't be able to do that. She had basically cut him out of her life without warning, and he was probably hurting a lot because of it. She didn't know if he would ever forgive her; if he ever could.

Her eyes widened as they fell on the last person to enter the field, who shut the gate behind him as he went. His face was half-covered by a baseball cap, but there was no mistaking his large build and scruffy chin. She would recognize him anywhere. _Luke Danes_.

She shifted uncomfortably, averting her gaze from the field. She tried to duck back behind other people who had come to watch, but there really weren't many people there, and most were shorter than she was. She sighed in defeat and turned to watch the game. Chris's team was batting first. She cheered as one of the players took the bat and positioned themselves over the plate. Just past them, Luke stood on the pitcher's mound. He appeared calm and focused, his eyes narrowed at the man over home plate. His eyes flicked just beyond him, and Lorelai knew in that moment that he saw her. His stance changed visibly. He appeared confused and he stiffened. His gaze narrowed even further. She cracked a small smile, managed a wave. He returned neither as he returned his focus back to the game and pitched the ball to the batter.

Strike one. Strike two. Strike three.

Strike one. Strike two. Strike three.

Strike one. Strike two. Strike three.

Chris's team had not even touched the ball, and it was the bottom of the first inning. As Luke took the bat, Lorelai cheered. Part of it was impulse, and when Christopher stared at her oddly, she added "Go Chris!" and said no more.

The game was over almost as quickly as it started. Chris's team managed a home run with the bases loaded, but by the end of the game, it wasn't enough to beat Luke's team, who came out on top 7-4.

Christopher grasped Luke's hand rather firmly, and Luke applied the same pressure in response. Chris's eyes narrowed, and Luke's did, too.

"Back off," Christopher said quietly.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Luke replied, dumbfounded.

"I think you do. She's not talking to you anymore. Forget her." Chris slid his hand away, stalked off the field, and was greeted by a comforting Lorelai.

"What was that all about?" she asked worriedly.

"Nothing," Chris lied, "just congratulating him on his win."

"It's okay, hun. That was a really awesome field goal, or touchdown, or whatever it's called in baseball terms," Lorelai said.

"A home run," Chris gave a small laugh.

"Right, that. Better luck next time, though!"

"Yeah," Chris nodded, "so, do you think the Leprechaun has been found yet?"

"Kirk? He probably almost fainted from heatstroke in the costume and came out of his hiding spot," Lorelai nodded definitively.

"So let's go see if Gigi's won us a week of Taylor Doose!"

Lorelai groaned, "don't put it like that! I don't want any now!"

Chris simply laughed, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as the two walked away towards the town square. As Lorelai rested her head on his shoulder, he kissed her hair, casting a glance backwards to Luke, who stood watching them walk away. There was hate in his eyes, underlying jealousy.

He wouldn't have cut Lorelai off from Luke if he didn't think it wouldn't be a problem. It wasn't that he didn't trust Lorelai because he did, but it was more the fact that he didn't trust Luke and the effect that he had on her. He hated that man. He was completely different from the man that he pictured with Lorelai. And he knew that if they had contact, after the whole hospital ordeal, things could and would surely turn bad for him. The last thing he wanted was to lose Lorelai Gilmore. Again.

But even despite those attempts, it seemed like he could be losing her already. The cheer during the game… he knew better than to believe that Lorelai was actually cheering for him. Maybe it was involuntary, maybe it just slipped, but she still cheered for _him_. He tried to forget it, and he tried to ignore it. Maybe he would be able to eventually.

When they arrived at the town square, they wandered through the booths and bought several (useless) things before searching for Gigi. Hunting down Taylor was their best bet, and when they found him, he told them that the Leprechaun had been found by Gigi's group. She was in his soda shoppe eating ice cream. Lorelai was off faster than the road runner to join her stepdaughter. Later that evening, the three of them participated in the town tug-of-war. Their side lost, and Chris attributed it fully to Lorelai faking her part.

The town celebration was a hit. It was one of the best they had thrown; high up there with the dance marathon a couple years back. The money that they had earned went towards repaving some of the older streets, replacing street signs, and, to please Taylor, adding informative signs to some of the most historic places in 'the Hollow.'

Taylor had decided to bring back the old town events, and in June there would be another dance marathon – the eighth marathon the town had held. It was not a fundraiser, merely something the town liked to do together. It was this small town charm that Lorelai loved about the town she lived in. They all knew each other and they all had fun participating as a town.

Rory would be finished with school by then, and agreed that, if she wasn't busy and a job offer had not come up, she, too, would participate. Lorelai was looking forward to it, and she already had Chris's word that he would be her partner.

* * *

><p>This chapter didn't have as much dialogue as the average chapter, but I still like it.<p>

If I don't change my mind, there will be 1-3 more chapters. It depends on if I add little sub-plots or anything.

Love it? Hate it? Review it anyway!

- Puppet


	5. Major Disappointment, Lorelai, Speaking

Aaanddd finally, Chapter five. (:

I think most of you will be pleased with this chapter. Or I hope so, at least. I was going to focus on the dance marathon, but then I realized it's not as fun to write/read as it is to watch, so I didn't focus on it a lot. Also, you'll notice some _They Shoot Gilmores, Don't They? _parallels.

Anyway, read on and enjoy!

OH, ALSO! remember that companion fic I mentioned? Most likely **not **going to happen because I changed the plot-line a few chapters back. I hope this doesn't upset anyone.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Gilmore Girls. I do, however, own a cat. (:

* * *

><p>News of the dance marathon spread fairly quickly, and Lorelai was glad she already had a partner. Townies came up to her and asked her to be their partner, for she had lasted all 24 hours five years in a row, losing only by seconds to Kirk Gleason. With Christopher as her partner, she could send them off without having to lie and feel bad about it.<p>

Avoiding Luke was becoming more and more difficult. Weston's just wasn't the same. Every day she would go in for her morning coffee, and every day she would cast sidelong glances towards Luke's. The coffee was so much better there. But as she had promised Christopher, she would not allow herself near him. She also would not give in to his coffee, for she knew that if she did, caving about the matter in general would soon follow.

She stared across the street towards his diner and jumped slightly when she saw Luke throw out another customer. They hit the ground roughly, scrambled to their feet, yelled obscenities at Luke, and stormed away. Luke, fists clenched in an effort not to pursue the man, seethed silently.

His gaze wandered towards Weston's. He knew Lorelai had switched to Weston's coffee after their fall-out, and he knew that all signs pointed to Christopher. It was him who was behind it all; who had told her to avoid him. His words at the baseball game months ago had proven that. His eyes scoured the bakery, and when they fell on Lorelai, he gave a sigh, turned away, and re-entered the diner.

Lorelai let her gaze linger on his retreating figure. He was still hurting, she knew. She had hurt him in a way she wasn't sure they could ever recover from. But it wasn't like she _wanted _to, was it? It was to save her marriage. Surely he understood that. She had so many failed relationships in her life – she couldn't afford another one. She knew she owed him an explanation for the sudden cut-off, but she couldn't bring herself to admit her mistake. It was a mistake. Saving her marriage, fine, but at the expense of a broken, deserted friendship? She shouldn't have agreed to it.

She shook this thought from her mind. _No, _she had to save her marriage. No matter what it took, her goal was to keep her marriage intact. She knew she was taking the hard way out of this mess, but she couldn't face Luke, and she couldn't let her marriage fall through the cracks. She had already disappointed her parents enough with her love life – from getting pregnant at sixteen, refusing to marry Christopher, almost marrying Max, almost marrying Christopher, surprising them with Jason, becoming engaged to Luke, breaking up with Luke… she was already too much of a disappointment in their eyes to add 'divorced husband' to the list. As much as she hated to admit it, her parents' opinions meant a lot to her. More than they knew. And more than she cared to let on.

She couldn't screw this up, and she wouldn't.

* * *

><p>It was bright and early when Lorelai woke up for the dance marathon.<p>

Well, that's how she imagined it, anyway.

In reality, it was early indeed, but the sun had not even risen. A reluctant Gigi woke up from her slumber and they dropped her off at Sookie and Jackson's on their way to the high school gym. Sookie and Jackson had called their babysitter, and she had agreed to also watch Gigi. As soon as they arrived, Gigi curled up on the couch and went right back to sleep. With tired smiles on their faces, they left.

"I hate early," Lorelai complained, "remind me why I do these stupid town things."

"'Because they're fun,'" Chris quoted his wife. She had used this many times before to convince him to take part in other events.

"Next time I try to convince you to do a dance marathon, remind me that it takes place really, _really _early in the morning."

"Noted," Christopher nodded.

With the rest of the town, Chris and Lorelai stumbled down the sidewalk towards the school. Lorelai leaned on his shoulder with a yawn. The only reason she was still walking was because Christopher's arm was latched to hers, tugging her along. He was the early riser of the clan, and didn't seem as tired as she was in the slightest.

After they checked in, they sat down on the bleachers. There was an hour before the dance marathon officially began, but it was best to get there early to get the best spot on the dance floor. Lorelai had allowed thirty minutes for napping and thirty minutes for staking out a spot on the floor. As they crashed into the bleachers, she wiped her eyes on his shoulder, blinking away the sleep.

"This town is crazy," she muttered, looking at everyone who had been hoodwinked into getting up so early.

"I've been trying to tell you that for years," Chris mused.

Lorelai cracked a small smile, "but you were never a townie, so what you said didn't matter."

"Until now," Christopher smiled.

"Until now," Lorelai echoed with a nod.

Her eyes searched the gym lazily and lit up in an instant when she spotted what was, in her opinion, the nectar of the gods. She sat up instantaneously.

"Coffee!" Her voice was slightly louder than intended, and she almost leapt from the bleachers in an eager rush for the needed drink.

The man behind the coffee cart turned in surprise.

Lorelai stopped short of her haste, staring in confusion.

Luke? In a… was that a _tux_? Baffled, she slowly descended the stairs, curiosity nagging at her more than the constant voice of Christopher in her head. The man followed after her, grabbing her arm and spinning her towards him.

"Lore, what are you doing?"

"I—going to ask Luke why he's dressed in a tux," Lorelai stammered.

"Does that matter?" Christopher asked with a sigh.

"Yeah," Lorelai nodded with her brows furred in impatience, "it matters. He never wears a tux. Ever. It's just strange. You can come along too if you're so jealous."

"I am not jealous," Christopher muttered childishly, but Lorelai had already turned away. He sat back down in the bleachers, casting glances towards the cart. He should have gone, too, but he wasn't jealous, and she had just alluded to the idea that he was. He wasn't jealous, and he would prove so by staying where he was.

As she approached the coffee cart, Luke shifted uncomfortably. Lorelai offered a smile, to which Luke returned awkwardly.

"Hey," Lorelai smiled.

"Hi."

"Coffee?"

"Coming right up," Luke nodded. Like every dance marathon, he pulled a thermos out from under the cart and handed it to her. "Don't tell anyone where it came from."

She rolled her eyes, "of course not."

"Oh, I, uh—" Luke was saved from having to answer as a woman came up to him and smiled, kissing him on the cheek.

"So I just went to look for food, but the only thing they're serving is some weird 'eggless egg salad' sandwich or something. I opted to save you from that, what I'm sure is very repulsing, meal."

"Thanks," Luke smiled nervously.

Lorelai stared at the woman in shock, "Oh, hi!"

The woman turned to her and cast a questioning glance at Luke. He gave a small, almost unnoticeable, nod. She turned back to Lorelai and gave a curt nod. "Hello."

Lorelai narrowed her eyes in confusion.

"I'm Lorelai," she introduced.

"Rebecca," the woman nodded simply. She continued to ignore Lorelai, refocusing on Luke, "I'm going to go find food – hopefully consumable and hopefully delicious. I'll be back soon."

"Okay," Luke agreed, giving her a wave as she walked away.

Lorelai watched her curiously.

"So, uh, Rebecca?" she questioned.

"Oh, yeah," Luke nodded awkwardly. She knew he was always bad with talking about his relationships, and his reluctance to divulge any further information was no surprise to her. "She's, uh… we've been… seeing each other... She heard about this and wanted to participate, so…"

"So you're finally going to," Lorelai grinned.

"Yep, guess so."

"So, I better get back," she said, "thanks for the coffee …"

"Any time," Luke replied.

"Don't think you're going to win this," Lorelai threatened teasingly.

"I wouldn't be too sure if I were you, either. I heard Kirk has a new dance partner who has even more stamina than the last."

Lorelai frowned, "We'll see, mister."

He turned to another man who had just approached the cart and poured him a cup, leaving Lorelai with no choice but to leave or stand there awkwardly. She chose the former, walking away towards the bleachers. She sat down next to Chris and he wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close against this side.

She had successfully wasted fifteen minutes.

"So, who was the woman?" he asked.

"Luke's girlfriend, apparently" Lorelai gave a small laugh.

"Really?" Chris asked, surprised. He looked over Lorelai's shoulder to Luke, who seemed preoccupied with handing out coffee and talking to the woman.

"Really," Lorelai nodded, "so your crazy reasons for why I can't talk to Luke—"

"They aren't crazy," Christopher argued firmly.

"Fine, fine," Lorelai conceded, shrugging, "but it looks like he's got himself a girl, now, so it seems a tad ridiculous."

Christopher didn't comment. Instead, he pretended he hadn't heard her.

* * *

><p>One hour into the marathon and Babette and Morey had already left.<p>

Two hours in and Andrew and his girlfriend stormed across the gym floor in opposite directions in a fit of rage.

By ten hours, half the crowd had given up, beaten and tired.

"How long do these things usually last?" Christopher asked.

"Until we win," Lorelai said determinedly, "and Kirk wipes that smirk off his face."

"You realize that could be a while, right?" Chris grinned.

"Don't worry, we'll win," Lorelai replied.

Her eyes searched the floor. Kirk and his partner were still dancing merrily across the gym, and Lulu sat in the bleachers watching him happily. When her eyes rested on Luke, her heart plummeted.

He and Rebecca seemed to be getting along well, and for ten hours in, they didn't show any signs of crashing any time soon. There was a gnawing feeling in the pit of Lorelai's stomach; a little voice that told her this wasn't right. As much as she tried to push it away, she couldn't. There was something _wrong _here… maybe it was her jealousy talking. Her mother always told her she was the jealous kind (amazing how she remembered that after so many years).

"Look at them," she scoffed.

"Look at who?" Christopher asked lazily.

"_Them_," she tossed her head subtly in Luke's direction.

"Oh," Christopher muttered, "ignore them, Lore."

Rebecca caught Lorelai's eye with a sly grin. In an instant, she placed her lips on Luke's, her arms wrapped tightly around his neck. Luke hesitated at first, but slid his arms around her waist in reciprocation. The woman glared at Lorelai, hatred clear in her eyes.

Lorelai groaned, "Ugh."

"Ignore them," Chris repeated firmly, spinning her around so she wasn't turned towards them.

"Fine," Lorelai huffed.

Rebecca laughed merrily behind Lorelai; a gloating, cheery laugh. Lorelai fumed silently. She would not be the jealous kind. She had no right to be. She had Christopher. Christopher. He was better than anything she had hoped for. She told herself this many times in hopes that one day it would be true. No, it _was _true. It had to be, because she was not going to fail again. She shut out the voices in her head and the voices around her, focusing her sole attention on Christopher.

"I'm sorry," she apologized sincerely, "it just still bothers me, you know?"

"Uh, no," Chris said, "I don't know."

Lorelai stared at him in confusion, "what?"

"I don't see why you're still obsessed with him," he stated.

"I am _not _'obsessed' with him," Lorelai defended hotly.

"Oh, really? You cheered for him at the baseball game—"

"That was for you!" Lorelai defended weakly, lying through her teeth.

"—you talked to him today when I clearly told you not to—"

"He had the coffee!" Lorelai argued.

"and now you won't shut up about him!"

"But I did! I said 'fine' _and _I apologized."

"It was a very reluctant 'fine,'" Christopher pointed out.

"Would you like a side of over-analyzing with that statement?" Lorelai asked dryly.

"I'm serious."

"I am, too," Lorelai said in protest, "this is ridiculous. I love you, I married _you_."

"You still love him," Christopher muttered.

Lorelai glanced around warily. They had been keeping the conversation quiet, and it didn't seem like many people had heard them over the music. Either that or they were too zoned out from tiredness to bother paying attention. "I don't."

"Look at me and tell me you don't," Christopher demanded.

Lorelai lifted her head from his shoulder, meeting his gaze evenly. "I am not in love with him."

Christopher pulled away in annoyance, "You can't lie to me."

"I'm not lying to you!" Lorelai protested. She lowered her voice as she heard a collective gasp from the townies. "Can we please carry this on somewhere else?"

Christopher turned away and marched off the gym floor. Lorelai sighed and followed him. There went her chance for the trophy this year…

They stepped into the high school's hallway, and Lorelai faced her husband in annoyance.

"I'm not lying to you," she repeated.

"Then you're in denial," Christopher argued.

"You're crazy," Lorelai scoffed, attempting to pass him and return to the gym. He grabbed her arm.

"I'm not. I know you, Lore. And I know that you're not through with him."

"I am, Chris, I am!" Lorelai was to the point of pleading now, shaking her head in defiance.

"You're still in love with him, Lorelai, whether you admit it to me or not. I thought I could handle all of this, but I can't. And I'm going to make it easier on all of us."

"You're giving up?" Lorelai asked hollowly, "Why? We can work this out, Chris! I'll do anything. I told you I would, remember? At the hospital? I cut Luke out like you asked. I cut myself off from Luke's coffee for you. For us. For this. You can't just give up on me when I slip up…"

Chris stared at her, contemplating. She was right in some respects, but the voice in his head telling him she still loved Luke was too strong to ignore. He stared at her with regret, his voice broken. "I think I can."

"Christopher…" Lorelai whispered in disbelief, clutching his arm. "Please, don't…" Her eyes welled with tears.

"I'll have Gigi's stuff out within the week," Christopher said quietly.

Lorelai let go. She stepped back in shock, her mouth open in a gasp. He was; he was giving up on her. After everything she had given up for him, he was giving up on her. She folded her arms over her chest, a stubborn expression on her face.

"Fine."

"Goodbye, Lorelai," Chris said in a whisper. He stood there for a second longer before he turned away, walking away with his hands in his pockets. He wasn't exactly sure where he was going, but he'd find his way out.

Lorelai stared after him until he disappeared around the corner. Her eyes flickered back to the gym, and she peered through the window. The run-around. She watched in amusement for a few moments before walking down the hallway in the opposite direction. She couldn't go back in there and face everyone. So instead, she wandered through the hallways until she found a door that led outside.

She walked back home, and what she found when she arrived made her spirits sink. His car was already gone.

He had already left.

She made her way inside and found that most of his personal things had already disappeared, too. Sinking into the couch, she stared at the flat-screen television in front of her. She hated it, but she pushed away the urge to rip it off the wall and smash it on the floor. She'd save that for a rainy day. Huddled up on the couch, she wrapped her arms around her legs, burying her head in her knees.

Her hair draped around her as a veil, she sat on her couch and cried, alone once more.

* * *

><p>END SCENE. slaps hand on the table like Lorelai.

Opinions? Thoughts?

Be warned that just because Lorelai and Chris broke up does not ensure a quick get-back-together for Luke and Lorelai. If you noticed, there is a woman named Rebecca in the picture. You have my permission to hate her as much as you want. She was very annoying to write, and I even STOPPED writing when I mentioned her kissing him on the floor with Lorelai watching. I almost couldn't finish.

I LOVE YOU.

xx Puppet


	6. Your Parents Were Meddlesome Fools Too

I'm not _too _particularly fond of this chapter, but I needed to get one up and I hate filler chapters with a burning passion. With that being said, I jumped straight to the point where I wanted to be at, which should be clear towards the end of the chapter.

I'm not overly satisfied with it, but I hope you will be. (: More will be happening when I get a chance to sit down and focus. School is back in session, unfortunately, so I don't have as much time to dedicate to updating.

Anywho, read on.

Also, if you get the reference in the title, I love you. I love you twice if you can name the fandom it references _and _the scene/episode of GG I could possibly be referring to [which could be several].

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Gilmore Girls, I wouldn't have made a Rebecca.

* * *

><p>It had been a few months since she and Christopher broke up. She became bed-ridden for a few days, very similar to her breakdown after her first breakup with Luke, and Rory came home to look after her. The divorce was finalized fairly quickly. Both were compliant with the other's bequests, and Gigi would stay with her biological parent, Christopher. Lorelai would miss her, but she knew that Christopher needed her and Gigi needed him.<p>

She didn't let this bother her and continued with her life as best she could. The Inn was thriving and quickly rose as one of Connecticut's best inns. People from all over the country came to Stars Hollow and embraced its small town charm. The town events always seemed to amuse the visitors. They were always sent home with wonderful anecdotes about selectman Taylor Doose, crazy Kirk, and unfriendly Frenchman Michel Gerard. The success of her inn put a smile on her face every day, and it was a great distraction from her lack of a stable, lasting relationship.

* * *

><p>Luke and Lorelai were standing in the town's gazebo. The street lights were glowing dimly, but darkness enveloped the center of town.<p>

"Remember when I told you I discard anything negative in my life?" Lorelai asked, leaning against Luke and placing his arm around her waist. Her hand lingered there as she smiled up at him.

"Yeah…" he trailed off in confusion, staring down at her fondly.

"Well I finally have… completely. First Rune, then the cards, and then Christopher. And I think that's it," she whispered.

"Third time's the charm," Luke smiled.

She beamed back, "I guess so."

She leaned forward to kiss him, wrapping her hand around the base of his neck. His arms embraced her tightly and pulled against her back, pushing her closer towards him.

Lorelai gasped as she woke up, shooting out of bed and staring wild-eyed into the mirror across from where she slept. Her hair was a tangled mess, beads of sweat rolled off her skin, and her eyes were as wide as a deer's in headlights. She groaned as she pressed her hands to her head. It was just a dream. Flopping back into bed, she stared up at the ceiling. For the third night in a row, this dream had come to her. She didn't want it to. She wished it would go away. She would do anything to get the thought of her and Luke out of her mind. It couldn't happen. If she told herself this enough, she thought, it would go away. But it never did.

She reached for the phone beside her bed, dialing the ever-familiar number of her daughter. After a few rings, a tired voice answered.

"I'm going to kill you."

"It happened again," she replied absently.

"What happened again?" Rory asked sleepily.

"The dream! The gazebo and Luke and everything! It was the almost the exact same dream as last night," Lorelai's voice sounded slightly panicked.

"What was different?" Rory asked, "was he naked?"

Lorelai scoffed, rolling her eyes, "_No_, Rory." She couldn't help but let that image into her mind. She shunned it instantly. "Analysis please."

"My original analysis still stands," Rory replied.

"But I don't like that answer, I want a new one," Lorelai frowned.

"You can't get a new analysis," Rory argued.

"But—"

"Nope."

"Fine," Lorelai conceded with a sigh, "so what do I do?"

"That's up to you. The doctor is out," Rory replied. She hung up.

Lorelai stared at the phone in silence. After school, Rory found a job at the Providence Journal. She had already moved out there and settled in, and she was roughly a week into it. She loved it already and called every time she had the chance. Lorelai missed her even more now that she was in another state, but she tried not to dwell on it too much.

She reflected on what Rory said. She hadn't provided much advice the past three nights. Her analysis had been that Christopher was right; she was still in love with Luke. The past two nights, she had rejected those analyses immediately. There was no way she still loved Luke, and she wished people would believe her. But the third night, for some reason, made her feel like she could be wrong.

Maybe she really did still love him. She didn't _want _to. She didn't want to be the reason Christopher left. She didn't want Christopher to be right;_ she_ was always right. She had said she didn't love Luke anymore, and she had meant it. She didn't want to dwell on him anymore. And, anyway, he had Rebecca. What was she supposed to do?

She sighed.

More than once, she picked up the phone and set it down. She bit her lip as she weighed the outcomes, creating a pro-con list in her head. Rory would be proud.

Finally, she dialed the number into the phone. She imagined Luke as he answered, his voice tired but still kind. Rough but still caring. As it always was. She still hadn't spoken to him in what seemed like ages, but she knew his voice like her own daughter's. She knew him like she knew herself. She tapped her hands impatiently on the edge of her bed, humming to herself. As the ringing stopped, she prepared herself and calmed her racing heart.

She could do this. Just a simple phone call. A simple question.

"Hello?" a groggy, female voice finally answered.

Immediately, Lorelai froze. What was she doing at Luke's? She tried to respond, but her words were caught in her throat.

"Hello?" the voice asked again.

Lorelai was still silent, shocked. Why the hell was she at his apartment in the middle of the night? She shuddered uncomfortably at the thought. As she was about to hang up, the woman spoke again.

"Don't you have something better to do than prank call people in the middle of the night?" Rebecca shrilly accused her. Lorelai scoffed silently, rolling her eyes. Hello, Emily Gilmore 2.0. "Are you mute or something?"

"I—" Lorelai stammered in a voice that wasn't her own, "wrong number, sorry."

"Well you could have just said that," Rebecca snorted.

Lorelai's mouth fell open hurtfully, and her brows furred in astonishment. The nerve! She bit back a witty response, but just as she was about to say something more, the woman hung up. She gasped. "Well then," she grumbled. She set the phone back in its receiver and laid back down, tucking herself under the covers and staring up at the ceiling.

She didn't think Luke would move on like that. Since she had moved to town, people were always telling her that Luke loved her. She had never believed them – she had no reason to. He always acted calm and collected around her, not like a love-struck, lost little puppy. He had always been the perfect gentleman. He had never put himself where he wasn't wanted, and he always did whatever he could to help her. She had been so stupid then. But now, reflecting on those moments, she wondered why he had moved on so quickly. If he loved her as much as everyone said he did… why did he choose to forget her like she had done him? It didn't make any sense.

Her brain was a mess, but she was finally able to fall into a deep slumber.

But even so, the dream came back.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Lorelai attempted to clear her mind of everything Luke Danes. She went downstairs, prepared her usual breakfast, went through her usual routine, and left via her usual route. She avoided Luke's and bee-lined straight for the inn. She only stopped for coffee at Weston's, but she didn't stay long. She was in and out faster than she had ever been. People were starting to call her The Blur again.<p>

The leaves were changing as they said farewell to fall, and many dappled the ground. Lorelai drew her heavy coat around her as the frigid wind blew through town. Winter was approaching. She made a mental note to remind Michel of the coming cold. If they ran out of coffee again, she could put all the blame on him.

Lorelai had plans to enter the inn, retreat to her office, and remain there for the rest of the day. She'd dig through the paperwork, sort the files, and complete all the mundane tasks that being the owner of an inn usually required. But as she stepped foot into the popular, homely atmosphere, a woman was by her side, ginger ponytails bouncing.

"Lorelai!" she squealed. Lorelai's face lit up in a delighted smile.

"Sookie!" she said in the same tone, embracing her no-longer pregnant friend in a loving hug. "What the hell are you doing here?" the inflection in her voice had not wavered at all, and the question, which_ normally_ would have been posed in anger, was laden with joy and enthusiasm. Lorelai Gilmore was, of course, far from normal.

"Well I just—" Sookie started excitedly.

"No, seriously," Lorelai interrupted, dropping her voice to a more serious tone, "why the hell are you here? You should be at home! _Resting_!"

"Michel told me they weren't sautéing the sauce right," Sookie explained.

Lorelai sighed in annoyance, "he's just antagonizing you, Sookie. Go home."

"But the sauce—"

"—is being sautéed to perfection, I _promise_. Now go home to little Connor and _rest_," Lorelai encouraged in exhasperation.

"Oh!" Sookie chirped, "Connor did the cutest thing yesterday with the – with the face and gurgles and the – and the _this_," she made a motion with her hands to which Lorelai only blinked in confusion, "and the _this_," she moved again, and Lorelai blinked again, "and the _this _and the – oh, it was so cute!"

Lorelai nodded blankly, "sounds it!" She corralled Sookie towards the front door and gently pushed her out, smiling. "See you later, Sook! _Stay home_."

Just as Lorelai started to close the door, Sookie pushed against it with the palm of her hand.

"Oh wait, wait! Lorelai!" she piped, waving her hands excitedly.

"What?"

"Luke wanted me to tell you that he'd like you to stop by the diner today," she informed.

Lorelai stared at her strangely, calculating. Then she shrugged her shoulders, heaved a "fine," and Sookie left peacefully. She watched her until she climbed into her car and drove away, unaware that there were a sly, scheming smile plastered on her friend's face.

Sookie knew Luke hadn't asked her to stop by. She hadn't even spoken to him in weeks. But she also knew that Luke and Lorelai belonged together, and she was not going to sit by and watch Luke become closer to Rebecca, nor let Lorelai drift further from the man she was destined to be with. A little meddling on her part wouldn't hurt anything. If anything, it would just make things infinitely better.

* * *

><p>For lunch, Lorelai decided to go to Luke's. Sookie's words had interested her. What did Luke want to see her for? What could he possibly have to say? Obviously it wasn't that important or else he would have stopped by the inn or her house, but he had done neither. They say curiosity killed the cat, and she figured it must be true; the curiosity was killing her. She occupied her mind as much as she could until lunch time and left in a hurry. As she left, she noticed Michel yelling angrily at one of the waiters. She made another mental note to hound him for that later.<p>

She walked into Luke's uncertainly and was more than surprised when she found Caesar and Lane working the counter. She stood in the doorway for a moment before a customer coughed behind her. She apologized, sidestepped, and stared at the counter. Then, she walked over to Lane.

"Where's Luke?" she asked.

"Lorelai!" Lane greeted, "I didn't think we'd ever see you here again!"

"Yeah, well," Lorelai laughed, "here I am."

"Luke's not here," Lane replied. She dropped her voice to a whisper, "dark day, you know?"

Lorelai frowned. How could she have forgotten? Even so, she wondered why Sookie had told her Luke wanted to speak to her. She was more confused than she had ever been. Things weren't adding up at all, and her mind was in a tizzy.

"Hey Lane," a voice behind Lorelai made her cringe. She knew that voice. She _hated _that voice.

"Rebecca," Lane greeted, casting a covert glance towards Lorelai, who looked less than pleased, "coffee?"

"No thanks," Rebecca frowned, "didn't I tell you I don't like coffee?"

Lorelai's mouth fell open in shock, but she recovered quickly and turned around. "Rebecca?"

"Lorelai," Rebecca smiled thinly, "what are you doing here?"

"Oh, just, checking in with Lane," Lorelai lied.

Rebecca ignored her from then on, moving towards the counter and sliding into one of the stools. She leaned her elbows on the counter, casting her gaze back towards the kitchen. "Is Luke back there?"

"Oh, no, Luke's not here," Lorelai replied from behind her, joining her at the counter and throwing herself into the conversation.

Lane nodded in agreement, "yeah. It's his dark day."

"His what?" Rebecca asked.

Lorelai had to force down a grin. Rebecca didn't know about Luke's dark day? She felt honored.

"Every year on this day, he disappears," Lane explained, "no one knows where he goes and no one knows what he does. He just gets in this _mood _and no one sees him until tomorrow."

Rebecca turned to Lorelai, "do you know anything about this? I mean, I know you two used to be pretty close…"

It satisfied her knowing that Rebecca had no knowledge of Luke's dark day. He'd never told anyone why he disappeared _except her_. She smiled, lying through her teeth as she responded, "I've no idea." Rebecca sighed in disappointment. "I wish I could help you," Lorelai lied swiftly, shrugging.

"Thanks anyway," Rebecca sighed. Lorelai simply nodded. Lane poured her a to-go cup of coffee and Lorelai left the diner, blinking unbelievably as she left.

She knew why Luke was gone now, but that didn't excuse the fact that he had apparently asked her to stop by the diner.

Confusion was an understatement.

* * *

><p>So there will be some Rebecca, Lorelai, and Luke interaction (hopefully) in the next chapter. We'll see how that plays out. That should be interesting, to say the least.<p>

Anyway, read and review, please!

Love, Puppet.


	7. Withdrawals

Alright, so, once again, this has taken a turn. I didn't intend for this to end the way it did, but I still kind of like it, and I think that it's not TOO terribly OOC for Lorelai and/or Luke. Hopefully.

More on this in the last A/N.

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Gilmore Girls, I would be updating this on a weekly basis. But alas, I am not that fast, nor that consistent.

* * *

><p>The next day, Luke was back at Luke's. The diner was as busy as ever – maybe even more so. People tended to go into withdrawal after Caesar's pancakes. They had all anticipated Luke's day, however, and avoided the diner whenever he was expected to be absent. Caesar, though skilled and kind, still had much to learn before customers would even begin to consider eating at the diner without Luke.<p>

After the evening rush, he went through his usual routine, scrubbing down the tables and wiping off the counters. Rebecca had stopped by a few hours before and she did her part to help, laughing and chatting amiably with Luke as they worked.

Lorelai stood outside the diner with a blank expression on her face. Her recurring dreams still plagued her mind, and no matter what she did, they never went away. Her newest theory was that she was going into Luke's coffee withdrawals, and that was why she was having strange dreams. Her body simply craved the delicious delights of Luke's coffee. What body wouldn't? She decided that if _this _wouldn't cure her incurable dreams, nothing would.

But as she stared into Luke's diner, she regretted her decision. She didn't _need _his coffee… oh, who was she kidding. She needed it. Discarding her doubts instantly, she stepped into his diner.

The things she had missed hit her all at once. The bell sweetly signaled her arrival. The smell of burgers, fries, and pie invaded her nostrils. The sight of the pie plate attracter her attention immediately. She could almost _taste _the glorious coffee she longed for. As she stood there, she took in her surroundings. The way the tables had moved ever so slightly to the left. The way the pie plate looked about half a foot further down the counter from the last time she had stolen from it. The way the menus seemed to scream "NEW" at her. The way the entire place seemed so much _bigger _to her…

Rebecca looked up from her task at the sound of the bell, offering a smile at Lorelai's entering figure.

"Lorelai!" she greeted, walking over to her and extending her arms in a welcoming hug. Awkwardly, Lorelai hugged the woman, withdrawing as quickly as she could. Lorelai could tell Rebecca was masking her hatred for her, but she was doing just the same thing.

Luke hadn't lifted his gaze from his work, but he did at the sound of her name. His eyes snapped up immediately and locked onto hers. She stared back calmly, a small smile on her face. He stared at her with surprise, "What are you doing here?"

"Gee, nice to see you too, Luke," Lorelai replied evenly.

"That's not what I meant," Luke sighed. He brushed his hands on his jeans and threw his towel on the table before joining Rebecca and Lorelai in the diner's main entrance. "I just mean… you haven't been here in… a while," he trailed off unsurely, obviously uncomfortable with the whole situation.

"I know," Lorelai nodded, "I, uh, I've just been really busy. That's all."

"You and Christopher are doing well then?" Luke asked.

"Uh, well," Lorelai gave a tiny laugh; she really hadn't talked to him in ages. She shifted her weight nervously, but managed to explain her delayed response, "actually, Christopher and I divorced about two months ago…"

"Oh," Luke said in surprise, "Sorry… I'm sorry."

"Eh," Lorelai shrugged, waving it off as no big deal, "if it was meant to be, it would have been."

Awkward silence developed among the trio.

"Um, so, Lorelai, what brought you here?" Rebecca asked impolitely.

Luke turned away immediately, tossing a "coffee?" over his shoulder as he made straight for the coffee pot.

"No, I hate coffee," Lorelai teased, hurrying after him and ignoring Rebecca's annoyed gaze. "I've actually developed an acute hatred for it in the past few weeks. I can't even stand to see it."

"In that case," Luke continued the charade, "how about some tea?"

"Don't even dare," Lorelai growled, to which Luke cracked a smile and pulled out one of the diner's cups. Lorelai stared at it in surprise as he poured the coffee and pushed it towards her.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing," she responded. It looked like she was staying for a while, then. She dropped her purse onto the counter and plopped herself into the stool. "You just know me so well."

"A good twelve years or more," Luke replied with a nod.

"Gosh," Lorelai sighed, "has it really been that long? I feel so old! Remember that time Rory got chicken pox?"

Luke smiled at the memory, "that was a pain to handle."

Lorelai nodded her agreement, rolling her eyes at the thought. When Rory caught it, she had been bedridden for over a week. Luke had been one her chief supporters during that time – not including Lorelai. He fed her anything she wanted and stayed with her when Lorelai couldn't.

Feeling left out, Rebecca marched over to the duo and leaned against the counter.

"Hey, Luke," Rebecca interrupted, "remember when we went to the baseball game?"

Luke laughed. "We had a great time," he reminisced. Rebecca cast a conquering glare to Lorelai, which the woman matched unwaveringly.

"Remember when we went to the baseball game and you got whacked in the eye?" Lorelai questioned, looking towards Rebecca out of the corner of her eye. She usually wasn't one to take such obvious bait, but she couldn't resist. Something about this woman bothered her. Angered her. She pushed all the wrong buttons at all the right times. Immaturity was certainly not beyond her. If Rebecca wanted to dance, oh, she'd dance.

Luke looked uncomfortably between the two women, a frown clearly on his face. His eyes pleaded with Rebecca to stop, but he didn't seem the least bit surprised when she didn't.

"Remember when I lost the keys to my car and we spent the entire night looking for them?"

"Hey Luke, remember when you made me a Santa Burger? And when you drove me to the hospital when my dad had a heart attack? And when we went on that carriage ride? Rory's graduation?" she reeled off everything she could think of and turned back to Rebecca, who seemed at a loss. "Oh," she laughed, "and when I got you to go to that _stupid _business day at Stars Hollow High and you ended up being better at it than I was?" _Ha_, her eyes sneered.

For a brief moment, Lorelai thought she had won. She thought this ridiculous debate would be over and that Rebecca would give up. But instead, Rebecca's face lit up in a winning grin. Her eyes narrowed in vengeance, and she walked around Lorelai behind the counter. _She wouldn't…_ Lorelai thought, but then realized that she would. She most definitely _would_.

"Rebecca," Luke warned, but the woman seemed not to hear him. She stood just inches from him and laid a delicate hand against his chest. Then, she kissed him, leaving Lorelai in stunned silence. That _bitch_, she gasped silently. Her eyes narrowed in hatred and Rebecca's eyes matched hers. Her eyes glistened triumphantly, and she 'accidentally' knocked over Lorelai's cup of coffee. Lorelai leapt up from the stool just in time as the contents spilled over the counter and onto the floor.

"Gosh, I am _so _sorry," Rebecca exclaimed, though only an idiot would believe her.

Lorelai stared at her and then at Luke, who suddenly seemed very interested with the floor beneath him. She waited for a second, hoping that he would say something. He didn't. So instead, she glared at Rebecca.

"Oh, that's okay. I'm not the one who has to clean it up," she retorted. She grabbed her purse from the other side of the counter, which had thankfully been untouched by the spilled coffee and turned on her foot to leave.

"Oh, and Luke, by the way," she started. Luke looked up as she said his name, wondering what she was about to tell him. "Whatever the hell you wanted to talk to me about, forget it. I'm not interested in _anything_ you have to say."

"What?" Luke asked in confusion. "Lorel—"

Lorelai stormed from the diner before he could even ask, leaving a satisfied Rebecca in her wake. The woman smiled broadly and wrapped her arms around Luke's, but he pulled away almost instantly.

"What the hell was that for?" he asked angrily.

"What?" Rebecca asked in fake stupidity, "I can't love my boyfriend in public?"

"You baited her," Luke seethed, "and then you kissed me just to piss her off!"

"It wasn't _just _to piss her off," Rebecca defended, stepping towards him in an attempt to soothe him.

Luke stepped backwards, a realization dawning on him, "You hate her."

Rebecca stared at him, calculating if she could get away with a lie. She knew she couldn't. "Fine, I hate her. So? You hated her too, if I remember."

"No, I was upset with her. I was mad. I was upset with what happened and the way it happened. There's no reason to hate her," Luke explained.

"Luke, there are plenty of reasons to hate her! Look at what she's done! She slept with the father of her daughter the night you broke up and then, after you were at the hospital for days when he wasn't, she still cut you out of her life completely. Now you just want to let her back into her life?"

Luke was silent for a few moments. He thought about what she'd said, but despite the fact that everything she said was true, his reply was still "Yes."

"That's ridiculous."

"What's ridiculous is the fact that you felt the need to act like a schoolgirl and try and scald her with coffee," Luke retorted.

"She was being unreasonable," Rebecca shrugged.

"Because you were baiting her!" Luke yelled. His words got lost in his anger, and he hurried towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Rebecca asked in annoyance.

"I'm going after Lorelai! You had no right to do that and since you obviously won't consider apologizing, I'm going to do it before she burns down the whole crazy town!"

"Are you _serious_?" Rebecca asked, shocked. When he just stared at her in a silent yes, she frowned. "If you walk out that door we're finished, Lucas."

Luke scoffed. "After today, I don't care where the hell you end up." And with that, he threw open the door and stalked down the sidewalk.

Rebecca certainly wasn't the only one to be blamed in the entire situation, but he knew Lorelai had only reacted the way she did because she had been baited. It was so easy to annoy her and anger her, and jealousy was definitely one of those things that set her on edge. Her jealousy didn't rear its head often, but when it did it was venomous. He knew it probably wasn't a good idea to leave Rebecca in the diner alone – who knew what she did when _she _got angry – but there was more on his mind right now.

Like what Lorelai had said before she left. What was that all about? _Whatever the hell you wanted to talk to me about, forget it. I'm not interested in _anything_ you have to say. _He hadn't wanted to talk to her about anything! At least, not that he had ever expressed any interest in… He certainly wanted to tell her some things, but he didn't recall ever telling her that he wanted to.

He was walking blindly, not entirely sure where he was headed. The moon was just beginning its ascent into the sky, which was painted a brilliantly fading purple, pink, and orange mix. A figure up ahead sparked his interest, and he hurried to catch up.

"Do you know where Lorelai is?" he asked.

"Ooo, Luke!" Sookie exclaimed excitedly. She was pushing a stroller in front of her.

Martha smiled happily. "Luke," she repeated.

"Very good, Martha!" Sookie praised her daughter, "that's Luke!"

"Yeah, hi Martha," he said. He had skipped formalities for a reason. "But Lorelai, where is she?"

"She passed by a few minutes ago, actually," Sookie replied, still tickled that Martha had managed to repeat Luke's name, "said something about movie withdrawals and wanting to go home to her TV. Why?" She gasped. "You two didn't argue, did you?"

"Uh, kinda," Luke admitted. "But we're working everything out. You think she'll be okay by tomorrow?"

"That depends on what happened, Luke. But I think for you, she'd be pretty willing to forgive. Forgetting might take a few cups of coffee and chocolate, but she'd definitely forgive you if you explained," Sookie responded after a moment of thought.

Luke nodded, "Thanks, Sookie. See you later." He gave a small wave to Martha, who waved back in response.

If Lorelai needed time to cool off, then he would let her. Dejectedly, he turned back and headed for the diner. Rebecca was not in sight and the coffee had not been cleaned up. With an angry curse under his breath, he cleaned the mess himself and went upstairs to his apartment, preparing himself for the woman that he would not see.

And indeed, she was nowhere to be found.

He sank into his chair and cradled his head in his hands.

In one night, he'd managed to make two women angry.

One of them didn't mean much to him as he reflected on their relationship, but the other…

She wasn't getting away so easily this time.

* * *

><p>The scenes with RebeccaLorelai and Rebecca/Luke fighting were sort of on-a-whim scenes, and I didn't feel like erasing them. I kind of like them, actually. And hopefully you do, too, because the alternative that I was going to go with was that he married Rebecca. So.

Read and Review, as always.

Love, Puppet.

**Oh, also: For these last few chapters, I've been toying with the idea of switching the central focus of the story from Lorelai to Luke**. There will still be Lorelai moments, of course, but I was focusing on making it more 3rd person limited Luke POV rather than Lorelai POV. What do you think? **Yes/No? **


	8. Funky Town

This is the last chapter. That's right, _last_. I've finally come to a close with this story and I can focus on a new one!

If you liked this, be sure to go back and look at some other things I've written. I must say, I have a certain affection for my oneshots/twoshots.

Anyway, read and enjoy!

And as always, reviews are much appreciated. :D

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Gilmore Girls. If I did, I would be much more skilled at keeping them in character.

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><p>If Luke thought Lorelai would be back in the diner today, he would be horribly wrong. But Luke knew better than to expect that, and his day at work was terribly dull as usual. There had been a tiny moment in that day where Lorelai had been civil towards him – friendly as usual. There had been a time when she joked with him. All of that had been ruined by Rebecca.<p>

It wasn't that he didn't like Rebecca; he did. In fact, he had quite enjoyed the time he spent with her. But she had taken a certain disliking for Lorelai the moment Luke mentioned her one too many times, shared too many stories that involved her… He never meant to. It sort of just… slipped out. Even when he hadn't talked to her in weeks – months – he still thought about her constantly. Was that creepy? He didn't know; he didn't care.

It had taken him many years to admit it. It had taken him self-help books and the droning words of an overly-cheery man to convince him to muster up the courage and ask her out. Sure, he had tried before. But someone had always interrupted them, and he had always lost the nerve. Now, he recollected, would be about the time the song _If I Only Had the Nerve _burst into his head. A happy smile would have drawn to his face at this memory of staying at Lorelai's for a movie night.

Memories like these plagued his mind. Memories like these easily clouded his judgment and overruled anything else in his life. Memories like these were why he was more concerned with Lorelai than he was with Rebecca.

He could afford to lose Rebecca. It sounded weird, yes. But it was true. He couldn't, however, afford to lose Lorelai. Lorelai had been there for him through every major event in his life. She was always there for him, and he was able to talk to her like he could with no one else. He valued this friendship above anything, and that included Rebecca. Despite what she had said – how Lorelai had shut him out of her life – he couldn't help but hope that this was just some big misunderstanding. He couldn't help but think '_Maybe there's more to this than I'm seeing_.' What she had done was awful, but he knew he'd forgive her if she asked him to. She was just that persuasive.

He waited for his regular afternoon lull in customers and left the diner for his daily break, tossing a nod to Caesar on his way out. He turned into Doose's as he crossed the street, wandering through the aisles and placing several essentials into the basket hanging from his arm. As he rounded a corner, he let out a small gasp of surprise, stepping back quickly to avoid a collision.

"Lorelai," he exclaimed in apology, "sorry."

She avoided his gaze, "Not a problem." She stepped around him and walked away.

After a moment's thought – _Go after her_. Don't go, you idiot. _You won't get another chance_. Sure you will! _You'll chicken out like you always do_. No you won't. Don't go. _Go. _Don't. _Do it_. Don't do it. _Get going, you blithering idiot_ – he turned around and followed her. "Lorelai, wait."

"What?" she asked impatiently.

Luke stared at her in surprise. What did _she _have to be mad at _him _for! After all, she was the one who shut him out of her life! Anger consumed him. He rolled his eyes.

"What is this? We're just going to ignore each other for the rest of our lives? I'll work at my diner and you'll work at your inn and we see each other when we run into each other at the market?" he asked, appalled.

"That sounds good to me," Lorelai nodded, "It seemed to work for a while. What's fifty more years?"

_I don't want to spend fifty years away from you_, Luke thought with desperation. "Lorelai, I—"

"I really have to get back to the inn now," she interrupted, walking away again as she avoided his gaze.

Again, he chased after her. "Lorelai, I just wanted to ask you something." He caught up to her and turned around to bar her way. "What did you mean when you said you didn't want to hear whatever it was I had to say?"

"Sookie told me you had something to tell me," Lorelai replied in exasperation, "I went to go see what you wanted, but you were out on your 'dark day' so I didn't. I was going to ask you yesterday, but… I don't care anymore. So you can forget I said anything."

"I… wasn't looking for you," Luke said with confusion.

This stopped Lorelai from turning away again. "Sookie said you did," she said matter-of-factly.

"But I wasn't looking for you. I didn't ask you to stop by the diner," Luke repeated.

"Well, then, maybe Sookie just misunderstood," Lorelai conceded, "but now I really have to go."

"I haven't even talked to Sookie in ages," Luke mused to himself. Lorelai didn't leave. She stared at him curiously.

"Why would Sookie make that up?" Lorelai frowned.

"Beats me," Luke shrugged.

Lorelai thought about it for a moment before the reason struck her from behind. Literally. Sookie fumbled with her grocery cart and Connor's stroller, knocking into Lorelai and sending her flying into Luke. The duo collided and Luke stumbled backwards. He tripped and fell, and Lorelai fell with him.

"Sorry!" Sookie apologized as she turned around to see who she had knocked over. She almost smiled in delight to see two of her favorite people in such proximity to each other. She giggled, and Lorelai rolled her eyes, flashing a smile at Luke who was pinned beneath her. Sookie was easily excitable. She almost wanted to laugh herself. "Need any help?" Sookie offered.

Lorelai shook her head, "Nope, we're good, Sook." She pushed off the ground and stood up, brushing off her hands and offering a hand to Luke. He took it and she pulled him up before turning back to Sookie, "but, uh, I was just talking about you, actually."

Sookie looked between the two of them and realized her situation. She started to push her cart away, but Lorelai stopped her. "Not so fast."

She sighed and turned sheepishly, "Okay, I can explain."

"I'm excited to hear this explanation," Luke replied sarcastically.

"Oh shut up, Luke," Sookie scoffed with a playful grin, "look me in the eyes and tell me you didn't want her to stop by the diner ever again."

"I—" Luke started, but found he couldn't go on.

"Ha," Sookie stated smartly. Luke glared at her. "You two haven't spoken in ages. I was only trying to help."

"Well stop trying," Lorelai sighed, "I can handle it – _we _can handle it. Really."

"_Ooookay_," Sookie said with disbelief, "if you say so."

"I do say so," Lorelai nodded, "Luke says so. I say so. I've been handling my own problems since I was sixteen. Nothing's changed."

"Fine," Sookie shrugged, "nothing's changed."

"That's right," Lorelai nodded.

Sookie's gaze lingered, she narrowed her eyes in calculation. Smiled. Lorelai laughed and sent her on her way. Luke never understood Girl Code. Maybe that was the point. He grunted awkwardly, his version of a laugh, and realized a lot of his items had spilled onto the floor. He knelt down and recollected them before straightening and turning to Lorelai.

"I better be going," he said quickly.

This was just too awkward. Maybe he was wrong. Maybe he could forget. He knew he could if he tried _really hard_. He had almost done just that before… almost. Lorelai was unforgettable, though. No matter how many times he tried to tell himself otherwise, he knew it would always be true. He couldn't lie to himself like that; Lorelai was unforgettable. There was no denying that. He couldn't forget her no matter how hard he tried. But it _was _awkward and he _did _want to leave. He couldn't do this. He thought he could, but maybe he wasn't quite ready yet. Or maybe he was just chickening out.

"Yeah, I gotta go, too," Lorelai agreed. The two parted ways, but Lorelai stopped and turned around. "Hey Luke, wait."

He turned around, slightly hopeful. His gaze was questioning, pushing her to go on.

"I'm sorry."

"Oh."

"I didn't know Sookie made it all up… so… I take back what I said."

"It's okay," Luke shrugged.

"No it's not," Lorelai argued, "I was a jerk. I avoided you because you acted like you didn't really have anything to tell me. And I guess you didn't. Sookie made it all up. If I had known that, I wouldn't have stormed out like that. I would have done it more gracefully. Like… a swan."

"What were you expecting me to say?" Luke asked.

"What?"

"You came because you thought I wanted to talk to you. What did you think I wanted to talk to you about? Obviously you thought it was good enough to stop by, otherwise you wouldn't have."

"You don't know that," Lorelai defended, though she knew that wasn't true. Luke knew her best.

"You haven't talked to me in months. And when you have, it's been brief and curt. And all of a sudden you're willing to come to the diner to hear what I have to say? When you haven't shown any interest in that in the past?"

"Since when did you get so observant," Lorelai complained.

Luke shrugged, a small smile painting his face. "Just answer me."

"It's not that important anymore," Lorelai replied, casting wary glances around the market, "just forget it."

He sighed in annoyance. This was just a vicious circle now. He looked around, grabbed Lorelai by her arm, and pulled her down the aisle towards the storage room.

"Wait, where are we going?" Lorelai asked in surprise.

Luke was silent.

"If you don't release my arm, I'm screaming 'kidnap,'" she threatened.

He pulled her into the storage room, made sure it was empty, and faced her. "Speak."

"Excuse me?"

"Why did you stop by the diner?"

"We've been here before," Lorelai sighed impatiently.

"'I recognize that tree,'" Luke quoted, "err… box."

"Ha ha, very funny," Lorelai said dryly. She folded her arms over her chest, staring at him. He stood between her and the way out. Sneaky, Danes. Very sneaky.

"We can stand here all day."

She narrowed her eyes. Seriously? She just wanted to go back to work! This whole day had been weird. She had been avoiding him not only because she was angry, but because she feared what would happen if she didn't stay away. She feared she would prove Christopher right. She wasn't strong enough to stay away from him. The whole thing had been one big mistake.

She wished she could take it all back. The promise she made the Christopher… everything. She wished she hadn't caused any of this. Her one mistake had been running to Christopher after she and Luke broke up, and she realized that now. If she had taken a moment to calm down and reevaluate… she wouldn't be here, now, wishing she could abandon her pride and admit her faults to Luke. She sighed, tossing her head back in resignation and throwing her hands to her sides. She saw Luke raise an eyebrow in interest, clearly wondering if she was finally going to cave. She took a breath. _Okay, Gilmore, it's now or never_, she thought to herself.

"You know why Christopher left, don't you?" she asked with a steady voice – which she knew would not last long.

"No," Luke replied quickly.

"It's because of you, really—" Lorelai sputtered. "Wait, no, that's not what I meant. He found the reference letter and completely misinterpreted. He left and I went after him…"

"Was that when you had the car accident?" Luke asked.

"Yeah," Lorelai nodded. "I had to go after him, Luke. He was my husband. I had an obligation to him. So in that moment, I decided I would do anything to keep my marriage alive. I mean, look at me. I got pregnant at sixteen. I almost got married, but I ran away. I almost got married to Max, but I ran away. I almost married you, but… I ran away. I couldn't run away again. So I ran after him. And you know where that put me. When he came to the hospital, I didn't want to take him back at first. But I remembered the promise I made myself. And I asked him what I could do to fix it. He told me that he wanted me to cut you out of my life… forever."

"At first I wasn't so willing, but I did anyway. Don't ask me why. I don't know why I did. But I did. And for a while, things were going great. But every now and then we'd take walks through town and I'd look towards the diner… and he'd catch me and I'd have to make up some excuse. 'Oh, I was smiling at Gypsy,' 'Oh, uh, Andrew was waving at me,' … anything. He believed me for a while. Then he didn't. He wasn't the guy I knew anymore. I think a lot of that had to do with jealousy. He may have known me the first sixteen years of my life, but you knew me best – the more recent me. And he hated that. At the dance marathon he'd had enough. And instead of me running out on him, he ran out on me. I had tried so hard to fix our marriage, and I ended up breaking it anyway. I gave up so much for him… and he just walked away. That's why he left—that's _how _he left."

Surprisingly, she found that she hadn't shed a tear. Maybe she was stronger than she thought.

"So why did you –" Lorelai cut him off.

"After he left, I did a lot of thinking. It took me a while to realize that he was right; I never quite got over you. You were always in the back of my mind. I always wondered how you were, how the diner was, how April was… I never stopped thinking about you. And when Sookie came to the inn saying that you wanted me to stop by, it completely flew over my mind that you wouldn't even be there. I was too anxious because I… I just wanted to see you. Talk to you. Hear your voice again. I missed the diner. I missed the coffee… I missed you. And it's taken me forever to realize this – and even longer to admit it – but…" she was struggling now, but she pushed herself onward. _It's time to jump, Lorelai. _

"I still love you."

Luke was quiet as she rambled, and he drank in every word. He didn't quite understand why Lorelai felt the need to fix her marriage, but the explanation of her running away every time struck a chord with him, and he nodded in understanding. In a way, he'd run out on his marriage with Lorelai, too. April had entered his life during that time, and he used her to almost push her away. He hadn't meant to, but of course… he did. He was so wrapped up in thought he almost didn't hear her as she finished.

"What?" he asked for clarification.

Lorelai smiled, a light laugh dancing onto her face. She was calmer now, more relaxed. Everything was out on the table. She had nothing to hide anymore, and neither did he. She felt better about it now – about everything. Finally, they seemed to be on the same page.

She closed the space between them in a single movement and perched on the top of her toes, wrapping a hand around his neck.

"I still love you," she repeated in a whisper, her face close to his ear. "The only question is…"

She didn't even finish her thought before Luke captured her lips in a kiss. It had been months since they'd shared a moment like this. His hunger for more drove him onward many seconds longer before they broke apart, both gasping for air.

"Nothing's going to come between us this time, right? No secret daughters, forgotten exes, crazy townies…?" Lorelai asked.

"Nothing we can't handle."

She knew the town would be watching them even more closely, but she didn't care anymore. Taking his arm, she pulled him out of the storage room and through the market, ignoring the stares and murmurs as she dragged him out the door and into the bright afternoon sun.

"Where are we going?" Luke asked gruffly.

"Funky town!" Lorelai quipped.

Sappy Lorelai had left the building. Luke rolled his eyes as she turned back to smile at him, and she only laughed.

"Ahh, you know you missed me," she joked. "Right?"

He smiled, "You bet."

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><p>I must admit, the beginning of this isn't my favorite. I'm quite fond of the ending though, and I hope you are, too.<p>

If you like what I write, my newest GG project is _Against the World_. It can be found on my profile. (:

I love you,

Puppet.


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